Hotels, restaurants, activities in Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu

Insiders share their perspective on Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu and the Pacific Palisades.

Insiders share their perspective on Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu and the Pacific Palisades.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel Erwin, 1697 Pacific Ave., Venice; (310) 452-1111 or (800) 786-7789, http://www.hotelerwin.com. 119 rooms in a lodging that was redone in 2009 by the trendy Joie de Vivre chain. One block from the beach and boardwalk. Rooftop bar. No pool. Double rooms rent for about $179 (winter weekdays) to $359 (summer weekends).

Hostelling International Santa Monica, 1436 2nd St., Santa Monica; (310) 393-9913, http://www.hilosangeles.org. Here are 260 beds (most in dorm rooms with shared bathrooms and six to 10 beds each), a few blocks from the beach in the middle of Santa Monica. Summer rates of about $36-$49 per person in dorms (about $10 less in winter) and about $159 for private rooms.

Shutters on the Beach, 1 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 458-0030, http://www.shuttersonthebeach.com. Two buildings holding 198 rooms in New England beach house style, facing the beach. Copies of "The Old Man and the Sea" in every room. Crowded pool deck. Opened 1993. Brochure rates $575-$995 for doubles. Parking $34 a night.

Georgian Hotel, 1415 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; (310) 395-9945 or (800) 538-8147, http://www.georgianhotel.com. This is an Art Deco building (1933) with a bold blue facade. Its 84 rooms (226-248 square feet and small bathrooms) include 28 suites. They're done in earth tones, with old-fashioned bold-hued tile work in the small bathrooms. Convenient to pier and promenade. Doubles usually $229-342, with winter discounts as low as $179; more for suites. Parking $23 a night.

Rae's, 2901 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 828-7937. Here's a classic little greasy spoon whose building is textbook Googie design, with a long counter and orange booths. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, cash only. Top price is $12.50 for filet mignon, and for $5.50 you get a breakfast of two eggs, two pancakes and bacon.

Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica; (310) 458-4904, beachhouse.smgov.net/. This city-run facility includes various year-round features, but the big draw is a beach-adjacent pool that opens to the public only during the summer. There's also a restaurant next door (Back on the Beach Café), small playground, rental equipment and a summer-only fitness room (which costs extra). A day of pool access (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) is $10 for adults and $4 for kids 1-17. Most Mondays, that price drops to $1 for children and adults and the pool stays open until 8 p.m.

Santa Monica Pier, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica; http://www.santamonicapier.org. Built in 1909, the pier includes a 1922 carousel, the Pacific Park amusement zone (with Ferris wheel) and a dozen restaurants and shops. There's limited parking on the pier, usually $6-$8, and the exercise equipment of Muscle Beach is just south, on the beach. Pier is free and open 24 hours; businesses on pier set their own hours.

Santa Monica Place, 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica; (310) 260-8333, http://www.santamonicaplace.com. Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Burberry, Kitson, Louis Vuitton, Nike and many more are united in this three-level mall. Just north wait the hundreds of shops, restaurants and such of the Third Street Promenade (between Broadway and Wilshire). The Downtown Santa Monica Farmers Market sets up at Third and Arizona (8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. More info: http://www.downtownsm.com.

Magicopolis, 1418 4th St., Santa Monica; (310) 451-2241, http://www.magicopolis.com. Buy gags for the kids, stop in for a drink at the Magic Bar on Friday or Saturday nights, or settle in for a show in the theater in back. It's $27 for the 8 p.m. shows on Fridays and Saturdays, $22 for the 2 p.m. shows on Saturdays and Sundays.

Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica; http://www.bergamotstation.com. More than two dozen art galleries, a cafe, a few shops and the Santa Monica Museum of Art, all gathered on the post-industrial site of an old rail yard.

The Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades; (310) 440-7300, http://www.getty.edu. Art from antiquity, surrounded by gardens and a facsimile villa. Open Thursdays- Mondays and most Wednesdays. Admission is free, but advance timed tickets are required and parking is $15 per vehicle. The villa's theater stages one production per year; this year, "Trojan Women (after Euripides)" will run Thursdays-Saturdays Sept. 8-Oct. 1.

Adamson House, 23200 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu; (310) 456-8432; http://www.adamsonhouse.org. A classic 1930 Spanish-style beach house with amazing details (the "Persian rug" made of floor tiles in the hall). It's now run as a house museum by the state parks system. Open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday (last tour starts at 2 p.m.). Cash-only admission $7 (17 and older), $2 (6-16), free for younger children.